We are LIVE at UFC 142 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil!
Antonio Carvalho at the UFC 142 weigh-insFirst up is a featherweight bout on the UFC's official Facebook page between
Felipe Arantes and
Antonio Carvalho!
-Round one: Carvalho scores an early takedown and showcases great ground control. The last two minutes of the round is a kickboxing bout with Arantes edging out the striking. Close round that PDG scores 10-9 for
Carvalho.
-Round two: Outside of a few clinch attempts early, the second round is primarily a kickboxing bout with Arantes landing the cleaner shots. PDG scores round two 10-9 for
Arantes.
-Round three: Arantes continues to land the better strikes until Carvalho pulls guard. Arantes lands effective ground and pound, opening two cuts on Carvalho. Carvalho scrambles to his feet, but Arantes lands the better shots through the last minute of the round. PDG scores round three 10-9 and the fight 29-28 for
Felipe Arantes. The judges agree.
Top-twenty ranked Mike Pyle in BrazilNext up is the first UFC bout on FX between Brazil's
Ricardo Funch and
Mike Pyle!
-Round one:
Mike Pyle lands a right that stumbles Funch, then clinches, dropping him with a knee. After a series of punches on the ground referee Mario Yamasaki steps in to call a stop at 1:22.
Michihiro Omigawa with his team in BrazilUp next on FX is a featherweight bout between Sengoku Featherweight Grand Prix semi-finalist
Michihiro Omigawa and Brazil's
Yuri Alcantara!
-Round one: Alcantara hurts Omigawa early with a knee. Alcantara patiently picks apart Omigawa before finally buckling him. Alcantara takes Omigawa's back standing, but Omigawa ends up on top on the mat. Alcantara nearly finishes the fight in the final seconds with an armbar, hyperextending the Japanese fighter's arm. PDG scores round one 10-9 for
Alcantara.
-Round two: Alcantara buckles Omigawa and pounces. Alcantara alternates between Omigawa's back, full mount, and top-half utilizing control and ground and pound to grind out a one-sided round. PDG scores round two 10-9 for
Alcantara.
-Round three: Omigawa is the aggressor, with Alcantara visibly gassed. Alcantara still lands the cleaner strikes, until Omigawa clinches and scores a trip. Referee at the end of the round. Alcantara rushes and reverses a throw by landing in mount. PDG scores round three 10-9 and the fight 30-27 for
Yuri Alcantara. The judges score the bout 30-27, 30-27, and 29-28 for Alcantara.
One-time UFC heavyweight contender Gabriel Gonzaga at weigh-insNext on FX is the UFC return of
Gabriel Gonzaga against fellow Brazilian
Ednaldo Oliveira!
-Round one: Oliveira looks to strike from the outside, but Gonzaga eventually shoots a single leg and slams Oliveira down. After scrambling to the feet
Gabriel Gonzaga secures a trip and eventually takes the back and finishes with a rear naked choke at 3:22.
Sam Stout backstage with his hands wrappedNext up on FX is
PDG's Match-Up of the Night between lightweights
Thiago Tavares and
Sam Stout!
-Round one: Tavares immediately clinches and takes Stout down. For the next few minutes it is a fairly actionless affair as Tavares tries to keep Stout down and Stout tries to wall-walk. Tavares drops for a guillotine but Stout ends up on top. Tavares tries for a rolling leg lock but Stout backs away. Stout tries to land heavy strikes while Tavares works from the outside. PDG scores the opening period 10-9 for
Tavares.
-Round two: The second round stays on the feet with Stout moving forward working the body and Tavares striking from outside with evasive footwork. Close round that PDG scores 10-9 for
Tavares.
-Round three: The round opens almost immediately with a kick to the groin from Stout. Tavares takes a few minutes to recover. Stout continues as the aggressor with Tavares evading and working from the outside. Stout avoids the few takedowns from Tavares. Close round until the end when Stout lands and hurts Tavares. Stout continues to land until the bell. PDG scores round three 10-9 for Stout and the fight 29-28 for
Thiago Tavares. No scorecards are read, but all three judges award Tavares with the decision.
Edson Barboza at the weigh-insKicking off the pay-per-view broadcast is a lightweight bout between undefeated
Edson Barboza Jr and England's
Terry Etim!
-Round one: Entertaining round with Barboza working punches and kicks. Etim looks for a few takedowns throughout the round, scoring one but is immediately swept and a scramble brings them back standing. Barboza lands the cleaner punches and kicks throughout the round. PDG scores the round 10-9 for
Barboza.
-Round two: Barboza's kicks have set the pace of the fight. He continues to land them to Etim's thigh, while also landing the cleaner punches. Etim tries to power a takedown, briefly putting Barboza on the mat, but the Brazilian is able to get back to his feet and separate. PDG scores the round 10-9 for
Barboza.
-Round three: The third round seems to be more of the last two until
Edson Barboza lands a spinning wheel kick, knocking Etim out cleanly at 3:03. An early candidate for 2012's knockout of the year!
Tense staredown between Carlo Prater and Erick Silva at the weigh-insUp next is long-time veteran
Carlo Prater against hot prospect
Erick Silva!
-Round one: Silva catches Prater, who looks for a single from his knees. Silva blitzes with hammerfists and punches. Referee Mario Yamasaki saves Prater only 29 seconds into the fight. Surprisingly, Yamasaki disqualifies Silva for illegal strikes to the back of the head, awarding
Carlo Prater the win. The replay shows a bunch of legal blows with a few stray shots to the back of the head. Yamasaki explains it is a judgment call and he has to make a call in the moment.
Rousimar Palhares alongside trainer and former UFC champion Murilo Bustamante and Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Pedro DuarteMiddleweights
Rousimar Palhares and
Mike Massenzio are coming up next!
-Round one: After an accidental low blow causes a pause immediately in the fight,
Rousimar Palhares pulls guard and snatches a leg, finishing Massenzio quickly with a heel hook sixty-one seconds in.
Vitor Belfort at the UFC 142 open work-outsComing up next is the co-main event between former UFC champion and PRIDE veteran
Vitor Belfort and
Anthony "Rumble" Johnson!
-Round one: Johnson is more aggressive then ever, winging heavy shots and diving for takedowns. Johnson is able to put Belfort on his back a couple times and lands some good ground and pound, but on the feet Belfort is more accurate. Belfort sprawls and after some punishing punches takes Johnson's back.
Belfort sinks in a fight-ending rear naked choke to submit Johnson at 4:49.
UFC champion Jose Aldo and challenger Chad Mendes at a pre-fight presserComing up is the main event between UFC featherweight champion and former WEC champion
Jose Aldo and undefeated challenger
Chad Mendes!
-Round one: Aldo spends the opening period landing powerful leg kicks and defending takedowns. Towards the end of the round Mendes takes Aldo's back standing but can't really take advantage of the opportunity. As they separate
Jose Aldo lands a knee to drop Mendes and end the fight at 4:59 with a pair of follow-up punches. Aldo retains his UFC title and sprints into the audience!
and I can't think of anyone who can beat Aldo.